


brief respite / on the brink

by LittleMusing



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Male My Unit | Byleth, Pre-Slash, SPOILERS IN CH2, sorry no fluff in ch2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-30 22:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20104786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMusing/pseuds/LittleMusing
Summary: "I only wanted to write Byleth napping" - my notes. Something small and silly for a rest day./on the brink ch2 - spoilers for GD route, until just after timeskip. felt too short to make it standalone so here goes





	1. brief respite

His Teach is incredibly fond of tea, as Claude quickly finds out. He managed to pry from Byleth about his meeting Ferdinand and Lorenz, and apparently whatever they told him completely bewitched the mercenary-turned-teacher to be joys of warm beverage. Oh, don't forget the confections, of course. Claude notices the way Byleth's eyes soften just a fraction over a hot cup, way before he first starts smiling openly. Reminds him that his 'Teach' is hardly any older than him. It only serves to deepen Claude's curiosity and interest, which, in hindsight, was the point of no return.

Claude is getting used to seeing Byleth zip around the monastery like a speed demon, so when he hasn't seen the customary streak of black, he decides to investigate. Byleth's room door is ajar, without occupant. He thinks about telling his Teach to be more careful but he gets the sense someone is watching him. He narrows his eyes at himself, ruffling his hair. Claude chastises himself and closes the door behind him.

Back on the search, his green eyes flick around for a sign of his Teach. He's not really sure why the lack of his presence is bothering him, so he simply presses on. It's just bandit this, bandit that for academy-sanctioned missions, he can take the day off from training. Byleth isn't at his usual fishing haunt or putting out fires in the kitchen. _It's like he's trying to be even more mysterious than necessary_, Claude thinks, smirking a little. No Teach at the greenhouse either.

A cat's meow attracts his attention as he observes the sprouts, doubtless planted by Byleth. The feline struts along with more purpose than Claude has had in the past, what, hour or so? He shrugs and follows the creature padding its way to the back of the greenhouse, and what do you know? Byleth himself, asleep, and surrounded by cats. The one on his chest is rising and falling with his breathing and the cat looks so comfortable Claude is hit by an inane sense of jealousy.

Also, isn't the ground pretty hard to sleep on? Having lived most of his life as a mercenary, getting used to having no bed must be habit. Claude shoos off a cat to find a place to sit. It hops onto Byleth's face, causing him to sneeze, though he doesn't wake. As he begins to consider the sound cute, Claude steeples his fingers and decides something must be wrong with him.

Having a variable as complicated and uncontrollable as feelings could cause the whole house of cards to tumble down.

If it were even possible, Byleth seems to look even younger when at rest. The dark bluish hair is pawed by the cats, messing it up. Claude almost runs his own fingers through Byleth's hair, stopping himself in time. He contents himself with a cat in his lap, trying to ignore the itch gradually creeping up his nose. From this spot, under a tree's shade, he can barely make out some of the faculty mulling around near the lake. Claude yawns, the sense of ease wrapping him in its warm embrace.

_Wouldn't it be nice if we could for ever stay like this_, he muses, lying down and letting sleep claim him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't actually go to the back of the greenhouse to check but you can't stop me from writing dumb shit like this!!! I'm progressing steadily through my NG+ GD run with only Felix left to recruit in this file. It's nice to consider recruiting all students but half of them will end up as benchwarmers so I'm fine just picking the ones I want most.
> 
> There's so many cats on the monastery grounds, where are they coming from
> 
> also I still have a crush on Claude and increasingly, Byleth. FE3H has irreparably ruined my life somehow. thanks Claude this is wholly your fault im going back to work before you distract me again


	2. on the brink

He must have felt it. He looked at the doors of the entrance hall, a faraway gaze in his eyes. 

_ I dreamt you were alone _ .

His voice was soft. He had never particularly raised his voice, but ever since Jeralt’s death, some part of his soul seemed to have gone too. He didn’t overwork - the class made sure of that - but the days of simply lying down with the cats were no more.

Claude had laughed it off back then, slung his shoulder around Byleth. 

_ C’mon, we’ll all just go get a feast together after we chase off the emperor banging down our door, yeah? _

Byleth wore a wry smile on his face, but nodded resolutely. It was still a shock to see those almost unworldly bright green eyes and pale green hair, really. Claude thought it was so much easier to see few emotions the other man let slip, but also, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. That wasn’t great considering the upcoming battle; that traitorous feeling that dug its claws in and only grew stronger over time. 

This wasn’t a place he wanted to die at.

The Sword of the Creator hung loosely by Byleth’s side. Claude had wanted that sword all those months ago, not anymore. It wasn’t just for practical reasons since he can’t use it anyway, but it just  _ felt _ right for him to wield it. He thought about House Riegan’s own Relic weapon, the one he hadn’t seen yet. 

He didn’t feel like he’s up for that either. The weight of the Riegan name sat quite uncomfortably on his shoulders at that moment.

The Knights of Seiros ran about preparing for the assault, a contrast to the two of them simply observing them. The archbishop probably told the knights to leave the Golden Deer alone. There they were, student and teacher, for the last time they would be so until the Empire came marching. The words Claude thought of saying weighed on his tongue, but promises were so hard to keep when war was on the verge of breaking out.

So, he doesn’t,  _ couldn’t _ say them. 

Why the hell did Byleth think it was a good idea to charge onto the battlefield alone? Claude’s not sure who he’s more angry at, but whatever it is, Byleth is gone. Dead? Claude doesn’t want to entertain the thought. His nails dug into his palms as the rest of the Golden Deer gathered around him, bruised and battered, and ultimately surrendered to the Empire’s might. 

They returned to Alliance territory without further incident, at least. Edelgard’s actions would ripple through them all in time. Claude hoped his grandfather could remain long enough to command, but this was a boy’s wishful thinking. The only way he could accomplish his dream was to take the mantle. Claude wouldn’t be able to face his Teach if he shied away just because he had disappeared.

Was it really five years? Five years since they promised to meet again at the monastery, a ruin of its former glory. The Alliance held back from provoking the Empire, but who knows how long they could last before Edelgard brought them under her heel. Dimitri was assassinated last he heard, and Claude escaped the same fate presumably by not overtly antagonizing the Emperor. 

He was probably tempting fate, then, returning to the monastery alone, leaving his weapons on his wyvern. Here, he wasn’t the head of House Riegan, or of the Alliance. Just Claude, a young boy again, holding on to a faint hope. The silence sent chills down his spine. As dawn broke on what would have been the day of reunion, he heard footsteps behind him.

Either the reaper was here, or…

The feeling he kept buried for years threatened to rise to the top. That familiar face, blinking owlishly as the sun rose, just took his breath away. Byleth looked confused, as Claude realized his ol’ Teach barely aged a day, while he… 

“You kept me waiting, Teach.”

It would be cheesy to say, but seeing him again was when Claude truly knew, that with him by his side, he could do  _ anything _ . If this one dream of his could come true right here, then everything else would. His chest clenched as he knew now the world Byleth left was vastly different to what he’s coming to, but he won’t be alone. They don’t have to change the world by themselves. 

He could see the trust in his former teacher’s eyes, as he unhesitatingly took Claude’s hand. Now, Claude will just have to live up to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this at work and proceeded to make myself sad i wrote this in gdocs so the formatting is slightly different sorry back to ng+ GD


End file.
